The Minuteman is a strategic missile defense system using ballistic missiles of intercontinental range. The weapon system was a revolutionary concept conceived in the late 1950s and Minuteman I was developed in the early 1960s. Minuteman has evolved and improved over the past 60 years to become more accurate, expanding targeting options. Minuteman missiles provide a quick-reacting, inertially guided, highly survivable component to the United State’s strategic deterrent program.